Forward Drive: The Race to Build the Clean Car of the Future

by Jim Motavalli

Overview

This comprehensive account of the past, present and future of the automobile examines the key trends, key technologies and key players involved in the race to develop clean, environmentally friendly vehicles that are affordable and that do not compromise on safety or design. Undertaking a rigorous interrogation of our global dependency on oil, the author demonstrates just how unwise and unnecessary this is in light of current developments such as the fuel cell revolution and the increasing viability of hybrid cars, which use both petrol and electricity - innovations that could signal a new era of clean, sustainable energy. The arguments put forward draw on support from an eclectic range of sources - including industry insiders, scientists, economists and environmentalists - to make for an enlightening read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138993075
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/26/2016
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jim Motavalli is Editor of E: The Environmental Magazine, the only national independent environmental bi-monthly in the US. He occasionally writes for The New York Times 'Automobiles'section, is the 'Autos and Environment' columnist for Cleveland's daily Plain Dealer and produces a weekly car column which appears in The Philadelphia Review and the New Mass Media papers. His writing on population won a 1999 Global Media Award from the Population Institute. His freelance writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, Cars.com, The Guardian, Tomorrow Magazine and Sierra. Motavalli hosts a bi-weekly public affairs and music radio show on listener-supported WPKN-FM in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He previously taught communications at the University of Connecticut, Stamford and now teaches journalism at Fairfield University.

Table of Contents

Pulling the Plug - A Brief History of Alternative Motion * A Dizzying Ride - Internal Combustion's Rapid Rise and Coming Decline * Engines of Ingenuity - New Technologies for the Clean Car * Road Warriors and Early Adopters - Living With a Battery-powered EV * U-turn - Getting Serious About Green Cars * The Global Green Car - Europe on the Fast Track * New Sun Rises in Japan * Thinking About Tomorrow - Visionaries, Pessimists and Investors at the Crossroads * Clearing the Air - Clean Cars and Sustainable Transportation in the 21st Century.* List of Interviewees * Notes * Select Bibliography * Index